Did anyone else move out of western Pennsylvania for greener pastures?

Submitted by Popular-Variation-29 t3_11me2wf in Pennsylvania

Has anyone else moved out of the "pop" drinking region of western PA in search of something different?

Some years ago, my family moved eastward from Armstrong County to Lancaster County, where I still reside. I really enjoyed and miss living out there in a lot of ways. I still have family out there and visit occasionally.

I've been surprised by some of the differences in speech, word usage, surnames, definition of a hill, etc. between east and west. Anyone else have any similar experience?

(If you have you may be interested in r/westernpaexpat).

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[deleted] t1_jbi2gwb wrote

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Super_C_Complex t1_jbiycj0 wrote

Yeah you're really close to the Coyahuga valley national park in Ohio too.

Went there and had a lot of fun.

Being close to Ohio is okay so long as there's no toxic spills

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69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jbjt9dd wrote

I'm from the Philly area. Moved to Pittsburgh over twenty years ago. Would move back to Philadelphia in a minute if the job market for what I do didn't suck in Philly.

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[deleted] t1_jblaw62 wrote

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SeptasLate t1_jbm4eg8 wrote

Philly is rough but unless you're hanging out in parts of North or West it's not that bad. Just need to spend time with people who've been around for a minute and don't spend all day on the next door app, they're not as on edge.

I'm more stressed about the housing costs in Philly, montco and delco.

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[deleted] t1_jbo2uma wrote

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SeptasLate t1_jboprlb wrote

I mean if you're being purposefully obtuse that's an interpretation you can go with.

The bigger issue is crime is attached to poverty. Neighborhoods in North and West are poorer and higher crime.

But hey if you were scared of being in the city it's good you got out. It's not for everyone.

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IrrumaboMalum t1_jbj6fdm wrote

Living near Ohio is preferable to living near New Jersey.

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PawBandito t1_jbk9cmv wrote

At least there is stuff to do in NJ + NYC is pretty close.

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IrrumaboMalum t1_jbkdghf wrote

I'd rather go to OH than NJ or NY as a Pennsylvanian since my LTCF is recognized in OH. Going to NY or NJ will only catch me a felony charge.

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heili t1_jbofzap wrote

All the stuff I like to do is available in western PA, Ohio, and West Virginia.

What stuff do you think is lacking?

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[deleted] t1_jbjblbg wrote

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IrrumaboMalum t1_jbjld8q wrote

I drove through New Jersey twice in my life - to and from Rhode Island, so both times on the same trip. I felt my soul being sucked away and a sense of existential dread each time - like there was a great dark force coming for me while I was there.

When I go to Ohio I just get a mild depression and fear of the Ohio Highway Patrol.

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SnooRevelations9889 t1_jbhb94k wrote

I've got cousins around Pittsburgh.

They've got spigots ("spickets") inside their house, where my house has faucets. Our spigots are just for hoses outside.

I'm still always surprised when a spigot is new and shiny. I picture something old fashioned when I hear "bathroom spigot."

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhcq93 wrote

My family has spigots, too. Some of them also have Pittsburgh toilets, aka commode.

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Yelloeisok t1_jbj3ya5 wrote

I believe the definition of a Pittsburgh toilet is one in the basement near the plumbing line, walls optional.

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69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jbjt5oj wrote

This is all countryside shit, people actually in Pittsburgh don't talk like that.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbk5sec wrote

Even if people in Pittsburgh talk that different from the country (which having lived there, I'd argue there isn't much difference), my point is that there is a some distinct differences between west vs east dialects.

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SchoolAcceptable8670 t1_jbhcpr2 wrote

Left when I was a kid. The 2.5 hour drive feels like traversing the continental divide and at least a decade.

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Great_Bodini t1_jbhg0u1 wrote

We just moved from TN to Pittsburgh yesterday, still trying to cope with the youns thing

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhh7r8 wrote

Get used to it, lol. Also, I believe the correct spelling is yinz. I wouldn't ordinarily correct anyone, but seeing as how you live there now, I thought you may like to know.

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Great_Bodini t1_jbhi6yi wrote

Agreed, at this point I’ve had sheetz fries three times and nothing but diarrhea

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idealzebra t1_jbj1x2b wrote

I don't know what it is but sheetz food makes me so ill except for hot dogs for some reason.

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Yelloeisok t1_jbj43vg wrote

Do not get them anymore. There are better choices nearby, no matter where you are in the ‘burgh.

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Great_Bodini t1_jbj5hj1 wrote

I can’t stop, everything has fries on it.

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Yelloeisok t1_jbjykjn wrote

Do not get them at Sheetz. Also, you can tell any restaurant (even Primanti’s) no fries.

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thunderGunXprezz t1_jbhg3sy wrote

One of the things I enjoy about SW PA is the diversity of the environment you can experience without having to go far. In my experience visiting other areas like say, central Ohio its just flat for 2 hours in every direction.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhhkit wrote

Yes, I drove through Ohio a few times on my way to Michigan. Both were painfully flat.

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No_Organization8460 t1_jbhazt6 wrote

I left WPA for WNC 16 years ago. When I would get home sick I would watch YT videos of Pittsburgh Dad.

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sintactacle t1_jbhrnm1 wrote

Where did you land in WNC? I love those mountains so much and want to do the same!

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbhi0tf wrote

Decade away due to military, and then another five-ish years in Chicago. I have a love/hate relationship with PA. Not sure I consider Lancaster a greener pasture, it's still very much Pennsylvania no matter what corner you're in... just a slight variation of the same.

Closer to Philly definitely makes me feel a bit less like I'll be battling zombies any time soon but then I miss the wildness. If I was independently wealthy I'd likely hang out in large population areas for a few months at a time (London, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, etc.) and then spend the other half of the year in New Zealand or Alaska just trying to avoid people.

I sometimes miss the healthier lifestyles of the West Coast but I don't miss the woo woo.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhm0km wrote

In my town in Lancaster county, the poverty rate is 5%, and the town I used to live in is 17%. Salaries are also significantly higher where I live now, the area is growing, and downtown is busy. Where I'm from, the population is shrinking pretty quickly, and lots of downtowns are filled with mostly empty shops. So comparatively, it's much greener in some ways. But I still like it out there.

But you are correct. It is still Pennsylvania.

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbhoto5 wrote

>the population is shrinking pretty quickly, and lots of downtowns are filled with mostly empty shops.

Sadly common place no matter where you go in PA. On the other side of that coin, at least entire neighborhoods aren't being bull dozed to build new 500k condos where they can fit four units where one house was previously which was common in Seattle and San Diego when I was there.

Honestly that's the most depressing thing for me being back in this state, I just feel like all the momentum is elsewhere. There's a "land that time forgot" sort of energy, although still comforting in its familiarity and I do appreciate the local history.

The rural areas are just not super sustainable and too far removed from city hubs. It's funny but I sometimes forget where I live until I want to go out and try some new restaurant and realize there are no new restaurants to explore!

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Zeeinsoundfromwayout t1_jbhmak5 wrote

🙄. Pennsylvania is known nationally for being very different between city and the boonies.
Maube it’s been a while for you but Lancaster and Pittsburgh don’t have a ton in common.

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbhnqle wrote

More likely you haven't visited the right pockets of Pittsburgh.. you go two blocks over and suddenly you feel like you're in Lancaster only they eat gobs instead of moon pies. Pittsburgh itself is a bit bipolar like that.

I've lived in both Pittsburgh and Philly.. Philly feels more like living in Chicago, San Diego, Phoenix, Seattle (other places I've lived). Pittsburgh is rather unique and boonies in its own way.

Whether I'm around Danville, Gettysburg, York, Lancaster, Sharon, Oil City, etc. there is definitely a sort of commonality although it's hard to describe.

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Zeeinsoundfromwayout t1_jbhrsvn wrote

I live there.

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbjba33 wrote

Well, then I'm confused why you so strongly disagree with the above statement.

The dialects change but it's still guns and Jesus country no matter what corner of the state you go to. And yet, there's also a unique character in those red areas that still make it feel like Pennsylvania rather than Ohio or New Jersey although as I stated above I'm really not sure how to describe it but it's something different and still unifying.

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Kythera35723 t1_jbnwik1 wrote

> And yet, there's also a unique character in those red areas that still make it feel like Pennsylvania rather than Ohio or New Jersey although as I stated above I'm really not sure how to describe it but it's something different and still unifying.

You've put in words something I've been trying to put in words for years.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbht42a wrote

I was comparing Lancaster County to Armstrong County. Not Lancaster city to Pittsburgh.

Also, the exact point I was making is that Western and Eastern Pennsylvania are different from each other.

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MrRiski t1_jbhp5c2 wrote

Moved from Westmoreland county to Holiday, Florida in March of 2017. Moved back in June of 2021. Loved Florida and the people for the most part but also hated everything about it. Insane amounts of traffic the summers were brutal. The pay was shit and the bills expensive. Idk how anything making less than 6 figures enjoys living in Florida honestly. For me it was constant stress over money. I was paying double for rent there compared to what I pay on my mortgage up here. And I couldn't buy anything worth buying in Florida because I made so little and the home prices were through the roof.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhrtat wrote

My grandparents and some friends lived in Westmoreland.

My coworker was thinking about moving to Florida from Lebanon County PA. He couldn't do it because the highest paying job he could find in the same field was a $ 17-hour pay cut.

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MrRiski t1_jbhud6z wrote

Yeah I took a pay cut to move down there and when I moved up I was still 10 cents short of being equal at $20/hr. Moved back up here and within 6 months I was making $25 and currently making $27.50 and planning on getting a raise around summer when I get my crane license.

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zerobot t1_jbj509u wrote

Yes. I grew up in western, Pa and my entire family still lives there however I moved away about 17 years ago. I am never moving back. I don’t miss it and the longer I live outside of that part of the state the more I fucking can’t stand yinzers.

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RamshackleDayParade t1_jbj8ue6 wrote

Left Erie in '99 for the military and haven't been back there for more than a weekend visit since. I’ve spent time in North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland. A year and a half ago I moved back to Pennsylvania, Adams County.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbjc4zi wrote

Not a bad place to live. My wife really wants to go take pictures at the Gettysburg battlefields.

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RamshackleDayParade t1_jbjglkp wrote

There are things I like, things I don't - as with anywhere.

Gettysburg is a good spot, worth at least one visit.

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hurricanesfan66 t1_jbhcofj wrote

20+ years in Raleigh from Indiana County.

Pittsburgh Dad like someone mentions. Trips to Kennywood when I come home. Gallikers iced tea and smiley cookies.

Love to visit, but it's not home for me. Got a family here now.

I do enjoy schoolin' folks down here on what are gumbands, redding up, school being off the Monday after Thanksgiving for first day of deer hunting (does that still happen?), gobs, and others.

But, I did single handedly get Sheetz to come down here almost 20 years ago, so that's good.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhebcl wrote

I love to visit too, but likewise I have my own family and home and I'm pretty happy where I'm at. And yeah, people pick up where I'm from sometimes based on my vernacular.

Smiley cookies were one of my favorites. We also have friends in Glen Campbell that we visit a couple of times a year, not sure how close that was to you.

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hurricanesfan66 t1_jbhf1ty wrote

So funny--I had never heard of it before now. Looks like it's the NE corner of the county. I group up south of Indiana (the county seat) almost into Westmoreland County.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhgaaf wrote

We used to go to Indiana town of, occasionally to eat at, I think it was Fire Mountain maybe? Previously Ryan's? I think.

Also, yes, my kids still have off the Monday after Thanksgiving. However, rifle opens the Saturday immediately following Thanksgiving now.

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbhhfk7 wrote

>Gallikers iced tea

I like how even that is only east of Pittsburgh.. at some point it transitions into either Ritchey's or Turner's or whatever. What is it with W PA buying up instant iced tea already mixed for us?

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woodcuttersDaughter t1_jbhjetd wrote

How does the definition of a hill differ? We have a lot of hills in Western PA and they are just, you know, hills. Some steeper or longer than others.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhn1a7 wrote

The angle of the hill. Relatively gentle rises are often referred to as hills here. Whereas no one I know out in western PA would count the same rise as a hill.

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starbuildstrike999 t1_jbhz4c4 wrote

Very recently, actually.. I grew up in Kittanning. Moved to Central Illinois back in July.

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w00dm4n t1_jbix2tb wrote

I moved from California's Bay Area with trips to the LA to stay with the other half of the divorced family to the East Side of PA.

It was nice to come back here and not have the endless 24/7 grind.

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phantomjm t1_jbjdm56 wrote

I grew up in Allegheny County then moved to Perry County shortly before I married my wife, who is a native to the area. It was a bit of a culture shock at first, but over the past thirty years, I've come to love it out here.

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Boredchik t1_jbjw9sv wrote

My family is from eastern pa from the NY, NJ, tri-state tip and I’m moving to western pa north of Pittsburgh. Any advice?

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbki0a5 wrote

Enjoy yourself! There's lots of nice places to live out there. Before I had a wife and kids, I seriously considered moving back to the west end of the state.

It's not culture shock by any means. It's just different in some interesting ways.

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C4bl3Fl4m3 t1_jblwqes wrote

My parents moved from Washington County to Cumberland County before I was born. Ofc, I'd go back there with them sometimes to see family. There's definitely linguistic differences. My speech is primarily South-Central PA (soda, not pop, tvym) with a few Pittsburgheze words/syntax thrown in, but I can understand Pittsburgheze.

And the hill thing! What they call a hill, I call the side of a mountain! (My parents are STILL that way, over 40 years later.)

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbm41p5 wrote

Cumberland County is a pretty nice place, we get over to Pine Grove Furnace to swim every summer.

My wife from Lancaster still makes fun of the way I say some things after being together almost 14 years lol

And yeah the hill thing really amuses me. It's really fun driving a manual transmission out there.

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